The cylindrical metal or cardboard containers in which engine oil has been, and sometimes still is, packaged are being replaced by molded plastic bottles. Pouring from the cans was facilitated to a degree by pouring spouts that punctured the lid of the container and hopefully sealed around the opening thus produced so that the oil would not leak at the interface. Unfortunately, this seal was seldom effective and a certain amount of oil leaked out onto the engine. Even more of a problem was, however, the lack of any valve that permitted the user to turn the container upside down without spilling its contents. The solution, therefore, was to hold the spout close to the oil intake opening and quickly turn the can upside down hoping that you hit the hole with the contents. As often as not, a good deal of it spilled onto the engine and dripped from there down onto the garage floor or driveway. These prior art can-puncturing spouts, however, had the advantage of admitting a certain amount of air to the can such that at least the contents poured out in a smooth stream.
The plastic bottle, while doing away with the necessity of puncturing the lid to get at the contents, nevertheless, has its own problems. To begin with it is every bit as difficult, if not more so, to pour from and hit the oil intake opening unless one uses a funnel. Moreover, since the pour opening is small, no air can enter the container and the contents come out "gurgling" and in surges which means that a good deal of it either overshoots or undershoots the opening thus resulting in more of a spill than one experienced with the prior art puncture type pouring spouts for use with metal-lidded cans and cardboard containers.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, therefore, to an improved pouring spout for liquid containers, particularly those in which engine oil is packaged, that is characterized by both a thumb-actuated ball valve mechanism conveniently located in the spout that permits the user to turn the container upside down with the spout in the oil intake opening in the valve cover before releasing the contents and, in addition, an air intake tube reaching into the bottom of the container that prevents surging. An essentially leakproof screw-on connection complements the assembly and cooperates with the other elements thereof to virtually eliminate spills.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pouring spouts for dispensing the contents of containers are, of course, well known in the art. The U.S. Patents to Sundholm 2,328,363; Dike 3,104,039 and Lampe 3,325,844 being examples of such units. The Dike patent discloses a spout which rotates to close off the pour opening in the screw-on closure. The Lampe patent, on the other hand, discloses a valved closure in which the particular valve used is of the rotating plate type wherein a pair of openings can be moved into registry with one another in the open position and out of registry in the closed one. Valves of this type are satisfactory when used with granular materials but they are difficult to seal and, therefore, tend to leak when used with liquids.
Accordingly, a need exists for a screw-on type valved pouring spout for attachment to the necks of the bottles containing motor oil and the like which need to be turned upside down and placed into small fluid-intake openings before the contents are allowed to flow. Means should also be provided for admitting air to the container while the fluid is flowing so as to eliminate surges and spillage. Preferably, the valve should be one that can be actuated by a finger or the thumb of the hand holding the container while holding the latter upside down with the spout tip already located within the fluid-intake opening.